Rita's Ramblings: a basically house-bound woman in Fargo, North Dakota blogging for friends, family, and anybody who finds it interesting. I talk about art or craft projects, my grandson (Ian), the weather, movies, books, health, and whatever happens to be going on in my life. Welcome!

Friday, October 31, 2008

I forgot how much I used to enjoy shopping in the middle of the night! The empty roads, the quiet--lights change for you if they are red, all the green lights stay green--you get to park near the door, not many customers (just stacks of boxes to navigate around)--no waiting in the checkout line. It was wonderful!! Good old times back again! :)

I needed milk and candy for the trick-or-treaters. Decided to just go over to the 24/7 WalMart at 2am. I am all set. Used to go grocery shopping in the late night hours when I lived in Minneapolis. I am not sure there are any grocery stores up here that are open all night. Have never checked, I guess. But I figured WalMart was probably still open all night. Yup! Anyways, I enjoyed my night excursion! And the little cart that Leah got me doesn't make hardly any noise at all either, rolling down the hallway at 3am--hehe! Thanks, Leah!

Miss Karma usually sits in the hallway and observes the few children who come to the door. She catches on that they don't actually come inside--so then they had been interesting. Cat TV at close range--hehe! I wonder what she'll do this year since she's so moody and unpredictable about visitors? Hehe!

Well, Happy Halloween to those of you who celebrate this strange holiday--hehe!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

I have never seen a pumpkin like this one they added to their little collection outside their door a couple days ago. The continents are cut out of blue paper and pinned on to the "world". They drew in the islands. How clever! I love it! Makes one stop and think about all of us here on this planet--which is feeling smaller all the time. Not that we all celebrate Halloween, of course--but this creative little pumpkin is like a nod to humanity! Makes me smile every time I walk by. Kind of sleeping around the clock--but feeling better day by day. Regaining a little energy and my eyes don't burn anymore--tada! :) Back to being on crazy hours--bed at 5:30am and up at 3pm. Never thought I'd ever hear myself say I miss being on days and having regular hours--oh well. Maybe will have a daytime routine again one day? Until then my hours will be whatever they will be--and I shall be grateful for sleep. One never realizes what one takes for granted until it is gone, right? Have a good evening. :)

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Duane wasn't expecting to be photographed, but this picture captured his kind face quite well, I think. We had a nice visit and interesting conversation, as usual. Thanks, Duane! :)

Karma slept the entire time on the chair.

Sunny again. Supposed to get into the 50's today!

I was out in the garage digging around in boxes yesterday looking for the little plastic cups that went with the wooden playpen I gave to Lois. I thought about them afterwards, emailed her, and asked her if the plastic food cups had been in the bag, Nope! I looked and couldn't find them. They may have accidentally been given away with the rest of the things that were picked up--or I won't find them for a very long time. They weren't in with the bird things in the garage. So, I sent Lois a link to the website of the company that hand makes the playpens. http://www.birdgymsrus.com/

They were such nice people. I am sure they might sell the food cups separately if she contacts them. I felt badly that I had lost the cups, tho. :(

Anyways, I am glad I am able to get some sleep--no matter when, I guess, right? I am beginning to feel better already. Ahhhh!!!! :)

Monday, October 27, 2008

This was Miss Karma in mid-stretch a couple days ago. Who knows when I'll see her in the morning sun again--hehe! But I am sleeping!! Slowly getting recharged!! :):)

Is sunny right now and 35 degrees. Guess it got down to mid-20"s last night! Chilly! All the snow melted, tho, yesterday--all gone. No Christmas caroles will be running thru my head today--hehe! Have a good rest of the day--just starting mine. :)

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Well, I just couldn't take it any more. No alarm last night. Slept over 11 hours! Didn't get up until almost noon. Forcing myself to get up--even for over two solid weeks--did not help me to be able to sleep any earlier at night. Just made me extra sore and extra tired. It felt soooo wonderful to sleep! I guess there is just no use fighting it when I get that night insomnia stuff. I can be so tired I can't see straight and be unable to sleep any earlier than my body decides to--period. I can make myself get up, but I can't make myself go to sleep. If I go lay down I just lay there and toss and turn and can't fall asleep. Makes no logical or physical sense. (Probably makes some kind of hormonal sense--hehe!) Thank goodness I don't have this all the time now--and it does seem less severe. I had times where I could not sleep for up to 36 hours at a stretch! So--it seems much better. But--I guess I shouldn't try to fight it when it arrives, eh? Can't say I didn't try!

Anyways--look what I woke up to at noon! Snow! The first snow this year!!

Yesterday in the mail I received some rice paper from Ann. This is for a sketchbook I am going to make for a gift for a friend of Ann's. Same kind as I made for Ann, but smaller. Exciting!

Those of you who have been reading my blog for some time might remember Ann sent me a bunch of paste paper she had made but wanted to get rid of when she was cleaning out her craft stuff. Well, she asked me to try to find some pieces large enough to use for the covers for this sketchbook! Then it will really be something special from Ann--fantastic idea, Ann!! I should have thought of it myself. The only way we might not be able to use the paste paper for the cover is if it is just too thick to fold well. But then, if that is the case, we certainly should be able to use it for the inside of the covers. Somehow--it will work. :):) A very personal gift. *grin*

Oh--I forgot to tell you that Lois told me (when she was here to pick up the wooden playpen) that Miss Gracie ended up down in Minneapolis as a companion bird to an elderly cockatiel. Lois told me the cockatiel's lifelong buddy died and the bird was so lonely. Gracie is the perfect companion bird!! She loves the company of other birds--any other cockatiels--and really doesn't like people much. Now when the older bird dies, they'll need to companion bird for Miss Gracie--hehe! Anyways, Gracie is very well and happy!! :):)

I have pictures of Karma, but I'll save them for tomorrow or later. It's not like you don't see pictures of my "companion cat" often enough--ROFL! Have a good day! Seeing snow gets me in the holiday mood--my very favorite time of year!! I am already humming Christmas carols! :):):)

Saturday, October 25, 2008

This seems to be the popular Halloween thing to do the past few years--at least in apartment buildings. Instead of cutting out the faces on the pumpkins they draw on them with magic markers. Less messy.

Therefore, they can buy very small pumpkins, too. :):) Not long until Halloween--this coming Friday. I have to go and pick up some candy this week.

Sunny morning--37degrees. Says it might rain this afternoon again, tho. Been such a dark and rainy fall. :( I guess you really appreciate the sun when you see it then, eh?

Friday, October 24, 2008

Busy day yesterday. I decided to email the lady from the bird rescue organization in Fargo about giving her the wooden tri-level playpen. And she showed up and the playpen was gone before 4pm.

Last night I was thinking--I didn't check the bag with the larger bird toys, so I'm not sure I gave her the little plastic food and water cups that went with the playpen. I'll have to email her and ask her.

I also posted an ad in freecycle for a free Tony Little "Gazelle". I have no place to set it up in my small apartment, so it has been in the garage since I moved here.

Good grief!! I had 27 people email me that they wanted it! A lady, her husband, and their little white dog came in a pickup truck and took away the Gazelle before 6pm.

Then Dagan called and said they were there to pick up the rest of the booth for ValleyCon. He and Leah and Chuck were down by the garage--and gone before 7pm. My garage is even cleaner now--hehe!

That was fast!! I do need to email Lois, tho, and ask her if I sent the bird cups along? They might be out in a box in the garage.

Just wanted to show you what always happens with the cat grass. I trim it a couple of times and then it dies. ?? I take it that must be what happens to oats? I wonder what would happen if I didn't cut it back? Would it go to seed? I trim it because it gets so tall it starts to just fall over. Maybe I'll try leaving it next time.

Yesterday felt like survival day--hehe! I watched Mongol (2007):

In the 12th century, an orphaned young slave named Temudjin (Tadanobu Asano) escapes from his captors and begins the journey that will lead him to become one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever known. Honglei Sun and Ying Bai co-star in this Oscar-nominated epic adventure from writer-director Sergei Bodrov, the first in a trilogy that spans the life story of Genghis Khan.

I loved this movie and will definitely want to see the following two movies in the trilogy! Subtitled. Gritty. Violent. Beautiful scenery. Love story (yes! I was surprised). Amazing what he endured so far. Not sure how much of it is absolute truth, of course, but I was mesmerized! A different viewpoint on the man and his life than I have ever seen before.

Then I watched Heartland (1980):

In 1910, Elinore Randall, a widow, and her seven-year-old daughter travel by train to face two great unknowns, a strange land and life with a man they have never met.

Conchata Ferrell (who plays the maid on Two and a Half Men right now) plays Elinore and she is wonderful!!! If you're only used to seeing her in comedies being lippy (which she is excellent at) you will see another side of her as an actress--a serious side. This movie is about basic survival in the west--small cattle ranching--also very gritty and realistic. Rip Torn plays the rancher--another side of him as an actor, also, I hadn't seen. Was very good! Thanks, Ruby, for suggesting it! I loved it! :):)

Still not sleeping well. Tired. Enough said, eh? hehe! 43 degrees and raining this morning. Good thing I had the pickups yesterday while it was dry. :)

Thursday, October 23, 2008

It was raining all day, so Dagan and Leah couldn't move the rest of the booth out of my garage last night (open truck). They stopped by briefly last night, tho--with a gorillapod! Leah had ordered me one from http://joby.com/

She sent me a picture earlier in the day of her camera hanging off of her water bottle! Cracks me up! Looks like a little camera robot, doesn't it? :)

I asked her how she got the shot without her arm in it? I didn't know I have a ten second delay on my camera, too. Leah showed me how to do it--set it on my desk--at the last second, Dagan hung the gorillapod in front of the camera. Worked great!

I want to experiment with the gorillapod for making how-to videos! See if I can manage to figure out how to make a video in the first place--and then--how to post them on YouTube. Apparently, you can make videos longer than you can send in an email (Leah found out). I rarely see any videos on YouTube over ten minutes long. Maybe that is why?

Definitely a new challenge. Don't get too excited, tho. I may fail at being able to learn this--like I did on making my own rudimentary website. I got stuck--on basics. Got some help several times--but just couldn't figure it out. I did manage to get the writings posted, tho. Dagan was my host, but he had no home for months and then hasn't gotten it back online yet (I just looked) since they moved into the townhouse.

It's possible I might be able to get some help from Chuck now that they moved back to Fargo. He knows something about making websites and has actually constructed one! http://www.gaminglair.net/index.html

Chuck is in the process of changing his completely because it had Saint Cloud in the title. Anyways, the other people who had tried to help me in the past had never built a website before, either. But Chuck can't see what I am trying to do until Dagan gets it back online--funny! And I totally forget about it too--it has been down for so long. I am reminding myself right now. I will email Dagan. :)

Anyways, I was soooo tired yesterday that I was in bed at 9pm--and I did sleep for almost 8 hours. So, we'll see how it goes. :) I have been back to reading before I go to bed--in silence or with some relaxing music. And I keep setting the alarm for 8am. Obviously was up long before the alarm today--hehe! At least the insomnia comes and goes more now. For a year or two the being able to sleep came and went--hehe! Progress. How long can menopause last anyways? ROFL!

Oh--I realized that I had put up the WRONG LINK for freecycle! Not that freecycle.com didn't have a lot of good information on links to lots of free groups online, but the correct link is:

Sorry about that! You just type in your town or area and can find out what is happening near you. I love getting the digests. Just reading them is uplifting. All these people giving things away--restores my faith in people, you know?

Well, have a great day! We are supposed to see a little sun today, I think. :)

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Yesterday turned dark quickly--and then it rained later in the day. It is still cold and raining right now--42 degrees--and that is the expected high for the day.

Karma soaked up the rays while she was able--hehe! She was just finishing a good stretch here--unusual to catch her without her feet curled up--hehe!

After Caroline left--the big doings for the day was washing clothes all afternoon. Finished another book. These "chick lit" books from Caroline are cute and a very quick read. I am on the third "princess diary" book and, come to find out, Caroline told me there are about a dozen of them!! They do bring me back to high school days--hehe!

The first book Caroline lent to me was called Death by Inferior Design. Was kind of like a mystery show and a design makeover program combined into one--hehe! That was the first in a series, too, I guess. I can't imagine they are all murder mysteries?? Who'd want to hire her--hehe!

Leah cancelled Craft Night tonight until they are done with ValleyCon. They are way too busy with all the preparations. Didn't surprise me. Usually they are scrambling to get things finished before that weekend--hehe! And they are adding on to the booth now, too, this year. Leah said she and Dagan will be stopping by tonight to pick up more of the booth. Something must not have been working with just using the sections she and Chuck took with them. I think there were four sections and they took two? I wasn't paying that close of attention, to be honest. I hope it isn't raining when they come. Has been stopping or letting up for short periods of time--been a fairly light rain. Glad it is rain and isn't snow yet!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

I never got a shot of the new garage all finished. Had my chance yesterday when they called about my garage door opener. In order to program it they needed me to back my car out.

Here the maintanence man is testing it. So exciting!And here's the garage with PitaPaseo parked inside.It's a little narrower than my old one. Good thing I have a tiny car, eh?Yesterday Haiying's order came, too! The seal is "the joy of still and quiet" or "the joy of quietness". I thought that was so appropriate for me in many ways. My life is very quiet and tremendously more "still" than it ever was--hehe! That inner calm, stillness, quiet, and peace is what I have aspired to all my life. I try to go to that peaceful place of calm and quiet when I paint, too.Haiying enclosed this beautiful orchid card! Inside she has stamped the seal and written what it means. Got some more colors of paint, the little white and blue water pot (to add water a drop at a time to the ink/paint), and an ink stone. I wanted to have a clean, new ink stone before I ever buy colored ink sticks--should have a separate ink stone. :)

This is definitely not a traditional way of using Chinese watercolors. I have put them in my western porcelain palette. I have been so listless, but hope to find some extra energy one day soon to do something creative. Not getting much sleep the past couple nights again. So, the past week and a half--just doing all the regular daily stuff you have to do is challenging enough for now. Having one noodle day after the other lately. This too shall pass. Always does. No matter how long it takes, right? hehehe!

Anyways, today Caroline comes to clean. I need to get dressed and gather the trash together. :):)

Monday, October 20, 2008

That doesn't stop Miss Karma from spending this morning on the porch. Made me clean the porch door glass, tho, after I took this shot thru the rain-spattered door--hehe!

Yesterday I read the second of the Princess Diary books that Caroline lent to me. Watched a horribly haunting movie called An American Crime--based on a true story from the mid-60s. They used the trial transcripts to write the movie. Was very well done, but is disturbing and you will be thinking about it for some time. Human beings can be as amazing in their evil as they can be in their goodness. This is a glimpse into very personal and shared evil.

Based on a shocking true story, directorTommy O'Haver's grisly drama centers on Indiana housewife and mother Gertrude Baniszewski (Catherine Keener), who imprisons and tortures a 16-year-old girl in the basement. When Gertrude takes in boarder Sylvia Likens (Ellen Page), she has no idea that her life will soon become a horrific nightmare. The supporting cast includes Bradley Whitford as the prosecuting attorney at the ensuing trial.

I even went online and looked up additional information. The movie made it simpler than it was, of course. And didn't even show it as bad as it actually was. Shudder! That poor girl! I wouldn't advise watching it if you think you'd have a hard time with human cruelty. Think Lord of The Flies with an adult orchestrator and a prisoner. The ending was very muddled. I think they meant to show her imagining she got away before she died--but they didn't make that very clear--to me, anyways. That is why I looked it up online. Anyways, it is a movie that will stick with you--in a shuddery way. You pray that in letting people know about things like this that they will be more likely to report suspicious behavior they see or things they hear.

So, I had to watch some funny shows after that--hehe! And finish reading the Princess Diary book.

I am tired. Still trying to catch up on my sleep. Won't watch any more disturbing movies later at night--not helping--hehe!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

It is so much easier to get close-ups with this camera as it has a setting for it. And I can even get a picture of Karma's golden eyes much easier without them looking like headlights--hehe! Karma was pretty tired when I took these pictures. When I don't sleep well, she doesn't get in her usual 20 hours either--hehe!

Sunny morning. 43 degrees. :)

Yesterday afternoon Leah and her brother-in-law, Chuck, came over to look at the shelving unit they use for their sales booth at ValleyCon. They want to add on to it this year--took part of it with them. Chuck used to be a carpenter for a contractor who built houses, so he and Leah are in charge of building things for their group for ValleyCon. :) I've never been to ValleyCon. It's an annual gamers convention weekend here in Fargo that is held around Halloween each year. They always have a booth there.

PitaPaseo didn't turn over the first time I turned the key--both times yesterday? But she did turn over the second time both times. Hummm? I think she'll be okay. She doesn't get out much, of course--hehe!

The lady came last night to pick up the cassettes, too. It is nice to be a part of http://freecycle.com/. I think I am going to offer a couple things soon. With the economy the way it is, I would think there will be a lot more people interested in free items--and sharing and trading goods & services. I bet there will be more and more websites similar to this one. There are already a lot of them! What a wonderful thing!

Oh, I had to chuckle. Those of you who know me know that I quit smoking in December of 1989, but that I have been occasionally smoking in my sleep/dreams since then--chuckle! For years I had been telling people in my dreams how I had cut way back on my smoking. I haven't remembered a dream about smoking for maybe a year or more--but just had one last night where somebody was saying to me (as I was puffing away) that they had thought I had quit? And I was telling them how I don't smoke at all for months at a time, but then I smoke for a short while. Cracks me up! All these years and I can't quite give up smoking in my dreams. Talk about an addict! Oh well, I am making progress, eh? Maybe by the time I'm in my 70's I'll have finally quit smoking in my sleep--ROFL!! Whatever works, eh? I haven't had a cigarette for going on 19 years--but I am still puffing away in my dreams once in a while--hehe! Sad, but true! Hehehe! Something to chuckle about today. Later!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Here's Karmawhen she was begging for the latest toy that was drying up on the lamp chain--hehe!

I grabbed one of the first toys Leah made......to get a close-up of the black plastic stuff she smoothes over the threads. Works really great!And, since the can it came in had a cover that wasn't air tight, we poured it into a mason jar.As long as it doesn't dry out--will last us a long time. They sell this stuff so that you can coat your own tool handles--like your own plier handles. Which is why Leah knew about it, of course--hehe! She windowshops through hardware stores like I do office supply stores--hehe!

I have been getting the FreeCycle email digests now. I saw that a lady wanted some blank cassette tapes so her son could use them to tape stuff for his grandmother who lives in another state. I had some to spare, so I emailed her and she will come this afternoon and pick them up. She said she gets off work at 4pm and I told her to call me for directions. She lives in South Fargo too. So this is my first time participating! Fun!!

And---I actually slept last night!! TaDa! Possibly could be past the worst of this bout of insomnia? I hope! I hope! Sun is peeking out this morning--45 degrees. Have a beautiful day! :)

Friday, October 17, 2008

Here's the clamp or vise that Leah uses to construct the cat toys. On the table you can see the "bobbin" that holds the spool of thread and the wire cutters.

We've been using eye screws as the base for the toys--so Leah cuts off the sharp tip with the wire cutters.Leah tried it both ways--with the clamp holding the tip end and the eye end of the screw. Eye end works best. Making cat toys is just different than making flies--hehe! Then Leah wraps and adds feathers......one by one...

...until she has it the way she wants it. :)I guess I didn't remember to get pictures of how she seals the thread. Leah bought some black liquid plastic and she coats the threads with that and lets it dry. That's why we have them hanging after they are done--to let the liquid plastic dry thoroughly.

This didn't show the process very well--but those red balls you see in the package are the handles of the long threaders. You push the threader down into the end of the bobbin......then just pull the threader out and voila! What a handy contraption! Holds the spool for you and everything--cool! We love these new little tools.

Since we were just coating the thread with the liquid plastic, all Leah needed to do to finish the thread off was clamp the end of the thread with this cool little tweaser clamp thingie to hold the end so she could glue it down. You can see above that she weighted down the little clamp with the small dangling scissors--just to hold the thread down flat while the glue dried.Another really great little invention we had never seen before. I am sure we will come up with alternate uses for these little tools, too! hehe! Then Leah hung them up to wait for the plastic to dry.

We will probably be making cat toys for a couple more Craft Nights. :) Leah only made two of them this week since the class went longer than she expected and she had to help me with the camera for quite a while, too. Last week she made three of them and re-did two old toys. We are going to remake the other shorter pole toys I have so that we will be able to interchange the toys on the end of the strings with a clip in this same manner--and so that we can attach new strings more easily when the cats bite through them. One of the cats at Leah's already bit through the string while she was on the phone--hehe! Cats do love strings, eh? As long as they just bite through them and don't try to eat them--no problem. :)

It feels so good to have the keys turned in and the garages switched. So wonderful to be having Craft Nights again with Leah! Now, if I can just sleep well again...hehe! I haven't been getting much sleep since last Friday. Been up late (2-4am) and tossing and turning. Been setting the alarm so that I don't start sleeping around the clock again--every day thinking the lack of sleep would get me to bed earlier. Hasn't. Yet. I am suffering an apparent relapse of the notorious insomnia. It always came and went (since I hit menopause)--eventually. I assume it will pass once again, of course. I am fighting to keep on days--hehe!

The problem is that the lack of sleep sets off all the fibro issues, etc...so I am pretty much zombie-ish here for a while. I will feel better again. Nothing new--I'm okay. Good days and bad, right? And with these fibro "flares" you can have good and bad weeks--or months--or even years, I guess. I have had times where the fibro manifested itself (big time!) in certain spots or areas of the body--for months! Depends on your activities the doctor told me--or sometimes for no apparent reason whatsoever. And it can kind of move--or shift focus to another area. Such a strange disease, eh?

So sometimes I am more limited than others. Sometimes I am in sharper pain or more exhausted to the bone than other times--which can make it harder to concentrate or more difficult to type or even do things like wash clothes or cook. Just life. But--in case you may be wondering why I can be doing a lot more projects for a while and then I can go for a long period of time without posting any projects I have been doing--that's why. Not a big deal. :)

Anyways, I love being Leah's minor assistant with the cat toys! I do try to blog almost every day. Even if it takes me longer and I have to take breaks. Just don't want anybody worrying about me, okay? My happiness is not contingent on my health. They are very separate things. Netflix and the TV and I are best buds sometimes--hehe! Life is good up here in Fargo! :):)

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Warning! Warning! Woman on the loose with new camera=lots of pictures--hehe! These first two are with the old camera--of the new camera from Dagan and Leah. Look at the huge picture screen! Wow!

Has a front lens that pops in and out......making an interesting noise and action. Karma might be difficult to sneak up on for a while--hehe! Until I figure out how to operate this camera better.There will be ways to sneak up on her. I can have the camera on for a minute before the screen automatically goes black (sleeps) and another minute before it shuts itself off. Yes! It shuts itself off! Cool! Plus, she will get used to the sound of this camera, too. :)

Anyways, Leah came over last night. She showed me a lot about this new camera and all its do-dads. I can take close-ups and....wait for it....short little videos!!!! If I can get a cheap tripod and figure out how to actually accomplish this feat, maybe I could make some little "how-to" videos of my own for YouTube? You never know, eh? :) I had no idea this camera could take videos! Wow! Not sure what the quality will be or how long--probably only a couple of minutes--but it is an exciting prospect!

Anyways, we figured out how to get the pictures into the computer now--have to have the camera on the viewing mode. So--here are the pictures from Tuesday night of the new garage and Dagan and Leah putting the shelves together--again--for the second time in just a few weeks.Break time! Thanks to Leah we all have the same thermos for water--hehe! We all use ours all the time, too. At one point all three thermoses ended up right in the same spot--and we all went "uh-oh"! Leah's doesn't have a tag on the bottom of hers, but Dagan and I--had to look inside to see the shape of the ice cubes. Dagan and Leah have an ice maker--hehe!!Some of the garage "stuff" piled about.

I just cannot part with my bird cage and playpen. Just can't imagine living the rest of my life and never, ever having a bird again. A lot of people get all wistful and mushy over babies--with me it is probably more over birds and kittens--ROFL!!The glider rocker (that we brought in the apartment) came in handy for me to sit in out there.Those boards are really heavy! I am amazed at how sore and exhausted I can get doing little or nothing--hehe! I was just watching them--deciding which boxes should go where--pushed the bird cage and playpen over--carried some very light things with my good arm--but somehow my body managed to demand imaginary credit for all the hard work Dagan and Leah did--chuckle!Takes two people to deal with these shelves--but they really are the best!! Hold so much!! I'll have to get an after picture next time I am out there. I forgot. But it looks pretty much like the other garage when we got done--except there is actually a car in the garage now!! TaDa!!

Okay--now--last night--Leah stopped over at the Sportsman's Warehouse to get some more thread, etc, on her way over for Craft Night. They just happened to have a class on how to make your own flies for fly fishing that very night! Fate!! I got to virtually shop with Leah for half an hour by phone while she waited for the class to start. Never say never and never say always, right? Who would have ever thought Leah would be attending a fly-making class? ROFL!!! But it was perfect--and meant to be. She was the only "student" there besides the employee who told her about the class. She learned a lot of helpful techniques...bought more feathers and such, too! Here's our total stash now!!

And she brought pitas!! An opportunity to try out the macro setting--hehe!

Last night she made a couple of toys--one for Karma and one for Chuck and Michal's cats who are staying with them right now. :) Left close to midnight--and I didn't get to sleep until after 3am! So, I am dragging today. It has taken me almost two hours to write this blog--with breaks, of course. But--happy, happy me!! I have a lot of pictures!! So--more tomorrow on how Leah actually made these toys!! :) I got lots of practice with the new camera--close-ups and everything! Karma may have gotten a new toy--but so did I--ROFL!!! :):)